Opioid abuse

摘要

I agree with Fletcher and Tsuyuki who, in their recent CMAJ editorial, caution against provincial drug formularies adding generic oxycodone to the list of products eligible for funding. However, the authors are far too generous in their treatment of Purdue Pharma Canada -the makers of the original and tamper-resistant forms of oxycodone. Purdue's aggressive marketing campaign was partly responsible for the widespread use and subsequent abuse of oxycodone. The tamper-resistant version of oxycodone was available in the United States in April 2010. In Canada, Purdue only introduced it in March 2012 -just prior to the expiration of the patent on the original version. Restricting which version of oxycodone is covered on provincial formularies may not deter overall abuse of opioids. Tamper-resistant oxycodone may be less abused, but there is evidence from the US that people are switching to other opioids, with heroin being the drug of choice.